Asherville wins inter-schools

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS — The Kollie Koeberg Sports Complex in Graaff-Reinet was alive with excitement last Friday and Saturday for the inter-schools challenge played between Spandau Secondary School and Asherville Secondary School.

Soccer, netball, volleyball and rugby matches took place in front of enthusiastic spectators, with much excitement in the air as the friendly rivalry between the two schools was played out in front of the packed stadiums.

Reunion groups from both schools attended the event, with the rugby games on Saturday being the main focus for most. Many friendships were renewed amidst the general festivities!

The action kicked off on Friday at 13:00 with a match between the second soccer teams, which Asherville won with a score of 2-0. This was followed by the U.14 rugby, where Asherville were again victorious with 26 points to Spandau’s 5 points. The U.15 rugby was a tightly contested match, with the final score being a draw, with each team scoring 5 points.

At the same time, the U.14 and U.15 netball matches were under way. Honours were shared here, with Spandau winning the U.14 by 10 goals to Asherville’s 5 goals. In the U.15 match, the Asherville girls got their revenge, winning with a score of 11-4.

Honours were even in the volleyball matches. Asherville girls won two sets, and Spandau boys won two sets.

On Saturday, it was the turn of the senior teams. Asherville came out on top in all the netball matches, much to the delight of the players and spectators. The U.16 team won by 17 goals to 4, and in the low-scoring U.17 game the score was 6-4 in Asherville’s favour. The U.19 Asherville girls were convincing winners, scoring a magnificent 34 goals, to which Spandau could only reply with 6 goals.

On the rugby pitch, the Asherville U.16 boys trounced their opposition by 28 points to 5. In the U.17 game, despite some good play, neither side managed to score, leaving the result a 0-0 draw.

Spandau’s first soccer team managed to restore some pride, beating the Asherville team by two goals to nil.

The weekend's highlight, the match between these two schools' first rugby teams, took place at 3.30pm, and the excitement had reached fever pitch by this stage. There was some excellent play from both sides, but after a keenly contested match, Asherville once again came out on top, with a convincing result. The Asherville champions scored 14 points and Spandau, despite many valiant attempts, did not manage to get any points on the board.

All the matches were played with total commitment and the participants showed great sportsmanship and enthusiasm.

Asherville fans were ecstatic at their school’s convincing win in this game, and indeed in the vast majority of the matches. The celebrations will long be remembered!

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